You are here

Early Voting Begins For Oklahoma Primary

By Kristi EatonThe Associated Press

OKLAHOMA CITY — Voters across Oklahoma began the first of three days of early voting ahead of Tuesday’s primary election.

County election boards across the state opened up at 8 a.m. today so voters could cast ballots for several races, including Democratic and Republican primaries in the race for Oklahoma’s open U.S. Senate seat. Only Republicans and Democrats can vote in primaries in Oklahoma.

A law passed last year changed the days for early voting, eliminating Monday as an early voting day and adding Thursday. The Oklahoma Election Board requested the change to help election workers better prepare for Tuesday’s election.

“Most of the counties, it was very hard on large elections for them to do early voting on Monday and turn around and have a Tuesday election. They needed some of that time on Monday to try to prepare and get ready for the actual voting day,” said Bryan Dean, spokesman for the Oklahoma Election Board. “It’s the same number of days, same number of hours, it’s just been moved. The Monday has been moved to Thursday essentially.”

Early voting will continue at county election boards from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.

The law change also allowed larger counties to establish additional early voting sites, Dean said. Cleveland and Tulsa counties both have additional sites available for voters casting their ballot early before Tuesday’s primary.

Despite early morning rain and storms, Oklahoma County Election Board Secretary Doug Sanderson said turn out had been “slow but steady,” which he said is typical for a state primary race. The rainy weather may have also factored in a bit, he said. Gov. Mary Fallin was among the people who turned out Thursday to cast her ballot early at the Oklahoma County Election Board in Oklahoma City.

Many of the voters who turned out said they were going to be out of the area on Tuesday.

Tom and Donas Rye, of Edmond, voted early for the first time. The Republican husband and wife said they voted for Fallin for governor because they like the conservative principles she stands for.

Midwest City resident Joe Baxter, who is a Democrat, said he votes anti-incumbent in almost every election.

“I live blue in a red state,” he said. “Democrat candidates don’t have much of a chance.”

But Baxter, a Vietnam-era veteran, said it’s his duty to cast his vote each election.

“If I don’t vote, I don’t have a right to be a citizen,” the 57-year-old said.